


summer of dreams (jatp x camp rock au)

by ajy



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Camp Rock (Movies), Summer Camp, ballerina nick, julynn friendship, mention of food, will add more tags as the story progresses, willie teaches alex to dance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:54:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27602408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajy/pseuds/ajy
Summary: a group of talented teens attend a musical camp. friendships blossom, love blooms, and most importantly, each of them find the path they're meant to take.inspired by disney channel's camp rock.
Relationships: Willex - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. hello, camp rock

Julie Molina dipped her head low among the crowds, hoping to find the camp councilor and heading to her cabin before she found anyone who knew her. 

It wasn’t even her idea to attend this ridiculous camp. A summer of music may seem enjoyable to the average joe, but to Julie, it was the worst form of punishment her father could have thought of.

“It will be fun, getting out and about. Meeting new people, maybe even picking up the piano again,” her dad had suggested the week before. He was going on a business trip while her aunt chaperoned Carlos. Julie weighed the two options: a camp full of people she barely knew versus being stuck at home with her aunt and brother. She loved her family, but seeing them every single day when she didn’t have any plans seemed a little suffocating. There was one person she didn’t mind being stuck at home with, but she wasn’t around anymore.

In the end, her father decided for her. “You’re going to camp, young lady. I signed you up. You can hate me all you want but your dear old dad just wants the best for you,” her father kissed her head and left her in her room, feeling a mix of nerves and quite possibly like she was about to throw up.

Julie had packed haphazardly, barely following the list her dad had gotten from the camp website. She didn’t want to think about the camp until the last possible minute.

At the last minute, she had brought along her journal full of random lyrics and song ideas she had. She mulled over the possibilities of her actually using it, and decided that she would keep it hidden in the bottom of her bag. Just in case.

Under the harsh glare of the sunlight, she finally found the booth to sign herself up. She scribbled her name in cursive, and handed the official documents to someone with tanned skin and hair that reached their shoulders. 

“Julie Molina. Oh, hey, you’re under my group. Hang tight for a minute, once the others arrive, we can head to our bunk.”

Julie waited awkwardly at the side, fiddling with the charm bracelet on her right wrist. The queue at the booth seemed to be getting longer, but twenty minutes later, almost everyone was huddled with their assigned groups.

Her group consisted of three guys, leaving her the odd one out. How did she get so unlucky? She was a mess around boys. She silently prayed she got mixed up in the wrong group and could switch. She gazed longingly at another group, made up of mostly girls and a guy that seemed out of place.

_We’re in the same boat, stranger._

Her councilor finally came up to her group, who had been mostly silent and tapping on their phones.

“Alright, team. I’m Willie, your councilor slash advisor for camp. I’m around the same age as most of you, so don’t worry about being awkward around me. Last year, I was one of you guys. But I decided to be a councilor this year because I loved the environment, I wanted to be in it for good. Who knows, some of you guys might be in my shoes if you love it. And you will,” Willie smiled good-naturedly. Julie knew he meant well, but he seemed to talk a lot for an introduction.

“Anyways, let’s head up to the bunk and I’ll tell you all about our itinerary!”

Willie led the way while the four of them quickened their paces to catch up.

~

Alex sat on the floor while he listened to his councilor explain the itinerary for the camp. He couldn’t help but be entranced by Willie’s words and animated hand movements. Something about him felt magnetic, like he could just walk in a room and be the centre of attention. 

“Why don’t we introduce ourselves and tell each other why we’re at camp?” Willie prompted, gesturing to a guy with a red flannel shirt beside him.

“I’m Reggie, and I joined this camp because I thought it would be fun.”

“My name is Luke, and I joined this camp to learn more about the music industry.”

“Uh.. my name is Julmhm.” The boys glanced at one another, feeling awkward.

“Speak up, hon.”

“My name is Julie. My dad thought it would be nice for me to.. Meet new people.”

“I’m Alex, and I joined this camp hoping to relearn the drums again.”

“Amazing! Now, let me get through the boring stuff and we can unpack after.”

"So basically, the groups you guys are assigned to is based on the skills and interests that you've put down for the camp. So for example, Alex, you play the drums?" Alex nods. "We basically pair you with people of different types of instrumental skills or interests to form a band. There's also some singing focused groups and dancing groups."

As Willie continues, one of the guys in Alex's group tapped him on the knee. Luke, he remembers.

“Hey, you want some gum?”

“Uh, sure.”

Luke slipped a hot pink wrapper into Alex’s hand and grinned. He was being awfully obvious, chewing his own gum, but then Alex reminded himself that this was camp, none of his strict school rules applied here.

He unwrapped the package as quietly as he could and pushed the gum into his mouth quickly. It had a fizzy texture to it; he liked that.

Once Willie was done speaking, he let the boys unpack in the room they were in and led the only girl, Julie, to the girls’ bunks.

Alex looked around, wondering which bed he should take, when the guy with the flannel shirt rushed to the top bunk. “Dibs on this top bunk!”

Before he knew it, Luke was also rushing to the bed below Reggie’s. That left Alex with the opposite bunk bed alone. He found that he didn’t mind it.

“Sorry, dude. Your reflexes were kind of slow.” Luke chuckled, and Alex laughed too, hoping he came across as chill.

“If you want, we can swap beds every few days,” Reggie piped up. Alex shook his head.

“I think I’m fine with this one.”

The boys looked at one another, feeling a little awkward once more.

“Well, let’s unpack then.”

The three of them grabbed their bags and started to sort through their stuff.

~

Flynn was unpacking her stuff when two silhouettes came into view. “And this is your room, Molina. I’ll see you later. Have fun!” The camp counselor left the room, leaving a girl in a baby blue top and jeans standing stiffly at the entrance of their bunk.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” Carrie, Flynn’s bunk and group mate, gestured to the new girl. The girl walked in, unsure of where to put her bag.

“Here, you can take our top bunk,” Flynn offered, earning a look from Carrie, who wanted the top bunk. _She’s nervous,_ Flynn whispered. Carrie rolled her eyes but let the situation be, unpacking her stuff in the opposite bed instead.

The three girls unpacked their stuff, silence settling over them. When they were done, Flynn checked the day’s itinerary and announced it out loud for the rest to hear.

"So, we have an orientation session in about thirty minutes, lunch, break out into our camp groups, and the rest of the night is free and easy."

The girls nodded. Just then, a girl in a white top and black culottes entered the room.

"Finally, Kayla! What took you so long?"

Kayla muttered a brief apology, setting her bag on one of the bottom bunks. Flynn repeated the itinerary for Kayla's sake and she smiled with gratitude. 

"Hey, what's your name?" Flynn asked the curly haired girl who has yet to speak a word since her arrival.

"It's Julie."

"Cool. I'm Flynn. This is Carrie, and Kayla. The three of us are in a dance group, with this other guy Nick."

Julie nodded, not attempting to continue the conversation. Well, Flynn was just going to have to try harder.

"What kind of group are you in?"

"Uh.. music, I guess. I'm in it with three other guys."

"So like a band? And damn, you're the only girl? Sending you luck," Flynn teased. Julie gave a half hearted smile and proceeded to look down at the floor.

 _She isn't being mean,_ Flynn thought to herself. Yet she couldn't help feeling like Julie didn't like her.

~

Thirty minutes later, everyone arrived in the main hall for orientation. There were a couple of ice breakers and documentation to fill out, but after those were done, a loud voice boomed through a microphone.

"WHO'S READY TO ROCK THIS SUMMER?"

Half-hearted shouts and cheers rang through the hall, but it wasn't enough for the speaker.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

This time, the volume notched up to a considerably higher level, and there were even attempts of people stomping their feet to make extra noise.

"Well, we can't have fun without some food in our tummies. It's lunchtime! You have to sit with your group for today, but once the camp events roll out, you can choose who you want to sit with."

Shuffling of feet took over the hall for a minute while everyone hurried to find their groups. Then, they were slowly ushered to the canteen area for lunch.

"Spaghetti with meatballs? I love this camp already," Reggie exclaimed as the lunch lady handed out their food. Luke smiled, and Alex looked warily at his plate. Julie and Willie were a little further down the line.

"Hey, Julie. So.. your father told me that you kind of don't want to be here."

"Oh! No, I'm good. Don't worry."

"If you say so. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here." Willie gave her an assuring smile, and Julie found herself smiling back. She really didn't want to be the one to dampen this guy's spirits. He emitted sunshine and sparkles, and that was enough for Julie to make an effort.

The group got a table and started eating. Technically, councilors were able to sit with one another, but Willie, being the extrovert that he is, wanted to spend some time with his group, get to know them a little more. Although the only thing the four of them were focusing on at the moment was eating.

"So, after seeing the itinerary, what are you guys most excited for?" Willie tried to start a conversation.

"I know what I'm least excited for. Dance lessons," Alex piped up, groaning at the thought of having to move his body strenuously for long periods of time. He also preferred being invisible, but dancing sort of forces you to be the center of attention.

"Wait, why do we even have to do dance lessons? I thought our focus was playing as a band," Reggie questioned.

"Technically, your groups are permanent, but we have different types of classes for everyone so that you can expand your interests. Some people change groups in the middle of camp, and it's okay as long as they're confident with their decision. Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, you have to perform at the end of camp."

Julie drops her fork. 

"It's nothing major, just a little bit of fun. There are prizes to be won like best dressed and stuff, but it's really not a competition. It is, after all, a camp."

"Julie, are you okay?" Luke asks. Julie looks pale, as though she's seen a ghost or something.

"I- I need to go to the bathroom." Julie stands up so quick she feels a light dizziness, and rushes off, only to realise she doesn't know where the bathroom is.

"Straight and to your right!" Willie shouts, and she follows his direction, grateful.

~

It wasn't that Julie didn't know this sort of thing will happen at a music camp. Of course she'll have to perform something at the end. But she hasn't touched her keyboard in over a year, and she didn't know if she could do it with a bunch of people she barely knew. She gripped her knees tightly around her, wishing she could just go home.

_You have to try, Julie. For her._

She didn't know where that voice came from, but she knew it was right. She couldn't avoid music for the rest of her life. 

Once upon a time, a little girl had a dream.

That dream was crushed when the source of her inspiration left the world, snubbing out the final piece of light that once lit inside her. 

She had to try.

She _will_ try.


	2. dance, baby!

There were many things Carrie Wilson was sure of -- some of which were that pink was her color, she threw the best parties, and she was born to be a performer.

She grew up listening to vinyls, and her father being a worldwide superstar was one of the factors that contributed to developing her love for music.

Sometimes, when she followed him along during his season-long tours, she would catch a glimpse of what it would be like to make it. The thrill of being up there on stage, in front of so many people that are there just to see her. The fans, singing along to the lyrics, humming the melody, dancing to the beat of the music. It was all… right there for her to envision.

But at school, when everyone recognised her as Trevor Wilson’s daughter, it was hard not to wonder if she could actually make it without her father’s superstar brand imprinted on her. 

Joining the music camp, to her, felt like ripping off every label and impression that was put on her. Here, she was only known as Carrie, someone with as much potential and talent as the next person.

“From the top! Five. six, seven, eight.”

She was currently at a dance practice with her group mates and another group, one of the members being her roommate as well. Julie.

She loved both singing and dancing, but if she could only pick one, she would dance. Dancing felt like a sort of independence, letting herself loose and moving to the beat of the rhythm. Her body had a mind of their own when the music started, and that’s what she loved about it. If a picture painted a thousand words, an entire dance sequence could pen a whole story.

The day before -- aka day one of camp -- she got to learn more about her group mates.

Nick, a shaggy haired blond, loved musicals and cats. He also learnt ballet for five years, so he had an amazing posture and form.

Flynn, the life of the party, was more into freestyle dance. A random fact about her was that she could rap the entire verse of  _ Superbass.  _

Kayla, the quiet but goofy one, was great at choreography. She had some videos uploaded on her Youtube, which the four of them binge watched during their group session.

Their councilor, Caleb, was one of the veterans in the camp. He pretty much let the group do their own thing for the most part, as he handled more administrative stuff. As he was out doing one of his tasks of the day, the four of them huddled and discussed their ideas for the final performance at the end of camp.

They bounced ideas off each other for a couple of minutes, trying to think of something unique.

“What are your favorite colors?” Carrie asked suddenly.

“Purple!” Kayla piped up almost immediately, and the others looked at her with amusement. She was almost never the first to speak up.

“I would go with blue,” Flynn mused.

“Yellow,” Nick responded.

Carrie felt relieved and smiled. “Pink’s mine, so this is perfect.”

“Perfect for what?” Nick frowned, wondering if he missed something.

“Our brand! You know, for the performance, but for the entire camp in general. We could wear the colors we mentioned earlier of similar outfits.” Carrie could imagine the concept in her mind vividly.  _ Candy colors,  _ she thought.

“Cool! Oh yeah, we still haven’t decided on a name for our group,” Flynn mentioned.

Carrie could feel another idea lighting up. 

“What do you guys think of  _ Dirty Candy _ ?”

~

Back at dance practice, Alex was struggling to “let his thoughts drift away”, as the dance instructor had said. While everyone around him was breezing through the steps, or at least trying to, he could barely move his body.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to... Scratch that. He didn’t want to.

Dancing made him feel too.. Exposed. He didn’t like that.

The group were dancing to a 90s classic, and he liked the song enough, but not enough to  _ dance. _

Luke and Reggie were already goofing around to the dance steps together. Julie was trying to, but he could tell that she, too, was hesitant to put herself out there.

The other four strangers, on the other hand, were doing so well. They must be the dance group Willie was talking about.

They were synchronised with the instructor, every step, every beat. Alex was entranced at their movements, the way they just flowed together so well. 

And then, they were stopping and looking right at him.

“Alex?”

Alex shook himself out of his stupor, realising someone was talking to him. It was the instructor.

“Uh, sorry?”

“I said, why aren’t you dancing?”

“Um…” Alex tried to figure out a way to explain the predicament he was in, when the doors swinged open.

“Don’t worry, Paulina. I got this,” a familiar, bright voice filled the room.

Alex turned around to find his councilor, Willie, smiling at him.

“You won’t mind if I take him, do you?” he asked Paulina, who shook her head.

“As long as you bring him back,” she replied. With that, Willie took Alex’s wrist and led him out of the room, Alex still too shocked to react.

~

“Here’s the thing,” Willie started.

The two of them were in an open but secluded area, far away from the dance studio. 

“Dancing is… a form of art. Do you remember what it feels like to play your drums?”

Alex pondered over this. “From what I can remember, yeah.”

“How does it feel?”

“..Freeing. Like the pressure is lifted off me.”

“Exactly! It’s the same thing with dancing, singing and many other things.”

Willie took his phone and started blasting a 90s pop playlist.

“Watch me.”

Willie started dancing to the first song on shuffle. There wasn’t any fixed choreography, just him dancing to whatever felt right. Alex felt a funny feeling in his stomach as he watched Willie.  _ Huh, _ he thought.

When Willie was done, he gestured for Alex to stand.

“You don’t understand, I can’t--” Alex started making excuses, to no avail. Willie simply chuckled in amusement.

“Follow my lead.”

The next song came up in the playlist. Willie started shaking his hands out. Alex looked bewildered.

“Wha-”

“Uh-uh.”

Defeated, Alex started shaking out his hands too, feeling dumb. Next, Willie swayed his hips from left to right. Alex followed, although he still couldn’t understand the point of it all. Willie started moving around then, thrashing his arms and legs in any direction. Alex could feel his cheeks flushing, but he followed. Willie chuckled.

“See, you’re dancing!”

“This is hardly considered dancing.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a subjective art form.”

Alex rolled his eyes playfully, surprised to find that he was actually enjoying this. The next song came up, and it was the most upbeat song out of the three.

“And now, we PARTY!!!” Willie roared, and started to really jam out to the music, air guitar and all. Alex laughed, and followed suit. He even added some moves of his own, too absorbed in the music to care about who was looking at him, what he looked like. 

When the song came to a stop, the two of them slowed down, unsteady breaths and the sound of the trees whistling around them filling up the silence.

“So, Alex, what have we learnt today?”

“That I am terribly out of shape?” That earned a laugh from Willie, which he was beginning to grow fond of.

“No. That you can dance!”

“I guess… Not sure if I would thrash my legs in the air for everyone to see, though,” Alex commented.

“You’ll get better. This is just the beginning.”

“Of what?”

“Your personal dance lessons with  _ moi _ .”

Alex looked right at Willie, then. “Wait, what?”

“I’m thinking I could offer you some lessons while the rest has their group practice until you get comfortable with the others. If you’re okay with it, that is.”

“S-sure!” Alex found that he really meant it.

“Great. It’s settled, then. You, me, here until you become an expert at dance.”

“I wouldn’t say  _ expert…. _ ”

“Trust me, dude.”

Willie put his hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“You’re going to blow everyone’s mind.”

Alex didn’t believe him, but it was nice that he thought so highly of him.

That night, while his group enjoyed dessert in the canteen as a first week of camp treat, he stayed in the bunks replaying his dance session with Willie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dude but romantically of course ;)

**Author's Note:**

> hey there! i'm pretty new at this ao3 thing so pls be nice hehe. so first of all, the characters are 17-18 in this au. willex will be the prominent relationship in this, and i want to focus on the friendships more, but i might have hint at some relationships. we'll see. i've had this idea for awhile now, and i love both jatp and camp rock with all my heart. with that said, here's hoping i will actually finish this au (i've never completed a story in my life lol everything's half finished-) 
> 
> hope you enjoy/stick around!! <3


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